Waterproof clip



J. E. POOL WATERPROOF CLIP Aug. 2, 1949.

Filed sept. 28, 1945 Patented Aug. 2, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to article holders, and more particularly to a waterproof clip for conventional blasting caps.

Blasting caps heretofore have been carried loosely in clothing pockets, or disposed in an improved holder which usually comprises a block of wood or the like having a plurality of elongated recesses arranged to receive the blasting caps, and provided with a hinged cover to retain the caps in the recesses. Neither of these devices protect the explosive charge contained in the blasting caps from moisture, with the result that the charge does not fire.

It is among the objects of the present invention to retain conventional blasting caps in operative condition by forming a watertight seal between the open end of the cap and a water impervious substance. As a further precautionary measure, the water impervious substance is coated with a desiccant which absorbs any moisture which might initially reside in the blasting cap or possibly penetrate the watertight seal.

Another object is the attainment of foregoing together with means for indicating the presence of moisture.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a holder of the class described having spring means for forcing the blasting cap into a Watertight relationship with a resilient member which is adapted to contact the open end of a blasting cap in a watertight relationship.

A further object is to provide a device of the class described which is simple and inexpensive and which may be nested with similar devices in baclr--to-back relationship, to minimize shipping and storing space.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from reading the following specification in conjunction with the drawings, forming a part thereof, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of one form of the article holder or clip complete with blasting caps therein;

Fig. 2 is a detailed vertical section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, parts shown in elevation; and

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical section of a modication of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is illustrated with conventional blasting caps l of the non-electric type contained in the clip 2 of this invention.

The clip 2 is fabricated from any suitable material or combination of materials, but it is preferably stamped irom sheets of spring steel, because of the simplicity, ease', and economy of the process, and the fact that the clip structure thereby possesses sufficient natural spring to furnish the de sired spring tension to effect a watertight seal, as explained hereinafter.

The preferred form of the clip comprises a body member 5 having the extremities 6 and 6 turned to dene channels l and l', respectively, with the body member The extremity 6 is provided with a plurality of arcuate contours or corrugations 8 aligned with similar corrugations 8 in the extremity 6' and cooperating to receive and retain blasting caps l.

The sides of the body member 5 may be provided with projections 9 and 9 normal to the body member 5 and extending in opposite directions. In addition to increasing the rigidity of the clip structure, one of these projections 9 functions as a cap stop, and the other projection 9 functions as a nesting abutment when two such clips are positioned back-to-back. These projections 9 and S', preferably, do not extend the full length of the body member 5 so that the extremities i and 6 may be sprung to permit a cap to be inserted in the clip.

Positioned in the channel 1 formed by the body member 5 and the extremity 6 is a strip of water impervious resilient material Il, preferably rubber. This resilient material, preferably, is coated on the inside with a pressure sensitive adhesive material l2, to which is applied a desiccant, such as silica gel or calcium chloride. It is further desirable to have the desiccant treated or admixed with a moisture indicator, which visibly shows the presence of moisture by color change. A cobalt salt, such as cobalt chloride, is satisfactory as an indicator for this purpose.

As a modification there may be eliminated the projections 9 and 9 that function as a cap stop and as a nesting abutment, respectively, so that the device may utilize the back member as a spring element. This construction and arrangement is shown in Figure 4.

In operation, the open ends of the blasting caps I are inserted in the corrugations 8 in the extremity 6 and in the channel 'l defined by the extremity 6 and body member 5, to Contact the water impervious resilient member ll. The extremity 6' is then forced back until the closed ends 3 of the caps l drop into the channel 'l' dened by the extremity E and body member 5. When the extremity 6 is released it urges the open end of the cap I into a watertight relationship with the resilient member Il. The desiccant will absorb any moisture trapped in the cap retaining the explosive contained ltherein in firing condition. To remove the caps without danger of collecting moisture they are rolled out of the clip keeping the open end against the resilient strip il. The moisture indicator trapped in the open end of the cap will indicate whether moisture has contacted the charge contained therein.

Clips of the type illustrated in the drawing and described hereinabove have been tested 'and found to retain blasting caps in ring condition after being immersed in water for a week.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A .blasting cap assembly comprising a holder defining a body having yieldable, turned resilient ends dening retaining channels, blasting caps held by the body and retained in the end channels -by the resiliency thereof, each of the 'blasting caps having an open end, and a relatively soft, water-impervious resilient lining for one of the channels engaged .by the open ends of .the blasting caps, the resiliency of the said end channels continuously but releasably clamping the blasting caps against the resilient lining in Watersealing Vrelation therewith.

l2. A blasting `capassemb-ly comprising a holder defining a body, end channel members on the body .substantially normal thereto, blasting caps held Jby the body and resiliently .retained in the end channel members, each of the blasting caps having an open end, a relatively soft, Water-nm pervious lining for at least one of the channels, the ksaid lining hav-ing ends proecting beyond the ends of the channel, the said lining being engaged by the Aopen Aends of the blasting caps, the caps being continuously urged against the said lining in water-impervious relation thereto by the channels, a layer of pressure-responsive adhesive coating on the said lining intermediate the open ends of the blasting caps and the lining, a desiccant carried by the adhesive coating, and a moisture-responsive indicator intermingled with the desiccant, whereby moisture in the blasting caps may be detected and removed -for maintaining the blasting Ycaps continuously `in dry condition.

3. A blasting cap assembly comprising a holder defining a body, end channel members on the Ibody substantially normal thereto, blasting caps held by the body and resiliently retained in thel end channel members, each of the blasting capsf having I'an ppen end, `a relatively soft, Water-im* perv-ious lining for at least one of the channels, the said channels having a outer wall defining retaining flanges ffor the blasting caps extending substantially parallel to the body, and corresponding corrugations -in the retaining anges and the 'body for vreceiving 4and holding remaining blasting caps .in place subsequent to removal of a ycan from the .assembly for use, the said blasting caps being continuously `urged against the said water-'impervious @lining in `waterproof relation thereto 4by resiliency voi the channel members.

JOHN E. POOL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are o'f record in thc 'le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date J600,367 Johnson Mar. v8, 1898 1,579,360 Hartwig Apr. 6 1926 1,629,423 Turk May 17, 1927 2,283,867 Flosdorf May 19, 1942 12,315,049 Cronstedt Mar. 30, 1943 2,341,310 Calhoun Feb. 8, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 291,385 Germany Oct. 5, 1929 

